Posts Tagged ‘Ronnie James Dio’

We are very excited to announce the world premiere of what we are claiming to be the world’s first heavy metal musical – The Legend of Dio: A Metal Musical!

The world’s legions of Ronnie James Dio fans will soon have something to celebrate after mourning the passing of the great metal singer in 2010. The Legend of Dio, a metal musical featuring the songs of Dio, Black Sabbath and Rainbow and starring Melbourne metal warriors Barbariön, will have its World Premiere at The Corner Hotel in Richmond on Friday March 6. A fictional comedy based on Dio’s music, lyrics and imagery, The Legend of Dio is equal parts Tenacious D, Rock of Ages, and Shakespeare. So come, raise your devil horns and salute a true metal legend.

Starring Barbariön’s menacing frontman, Myles Tauchert as Satan, William James Smith from H.M.A.S. Vendetta as Dio and Kat Stargazer of Horizons Edge as Wendy.

Eagle Rock Entertainment is proud to announce the May 13 release of Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo 1993 on DVD, SD Blu-ray and double CD formats, from the incomparable Dio [Pre-book Order Date April 18, MSRP $14.98 DVD, $19.98 SD Blu-ray, $17.98 2CD].

This is the first ever video release of this classic 1993 concert and includes anthems such as “Holy Diver,” “Rainbow In The Dark,” “Strange Highways,” “Stand Up And Shout,” “Man On The Silver Mountain,” “Heaven And Hell,” “We Rock,” and more. Filmed at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on December 12, 1993, this concert film captures the then newly-reformed Dio on the last night of their European tour in support of the Strange Highways album. The line-up of Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Vinny Appice (drums), Jeff Pilson (bass), Tracy G (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) the band delivered a blistering performance of tracks from their new album, previous Dio classics and favorites from Ronnie’s career with Black Sabbath and Rainbow. This powerful performance is presented in DTS Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1, and Dolby Digital Stereo.

In addition to this amazing concert, the AV formats offer a bonus Behind-The-Scenes feature entitled “Hangin’ With The Band”.

One of the most influential and celebrated vocalists / frontmen of hard rock and heavy metal, the late Ronnie James Dio’s commanding vocals and mammoth stage presence has resonated with generations of fans. His sophisticated, classical vocalization mixed with imaginative, fantastical song themes was genre-defining, establishing him as one of music’s most beloved icons. Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo masterfully captures him and his namesake band, Dio.

For a sneak peak at Live In London – Hammersmith Apollo, here’s a video of “Mob Rules” :

Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world. Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.

Metallica had a bit of a hard time deciding which Ronnie James Dio track to cover for late icon’s “This Is Your Life” tribute album, resulting in the decision to compile “Ronnie Rising Medley,” a 9-minute jam of Dio’s four all-time classics.

Combining “Tarot Woman,” “Kill the King,” “Stargazer,” and “A Light in the Black” songs under the Metallica banner, the song is available for streaming in full. Make sure to give it a listen below, courtesy of Rolling Stone.

As for the album, “This Is Your Life” is scheduled for April 1 release via Rhino Records, featuring Dio covers by such class acts as Judas Priest, Motorhead, Anthrax, Slipknot and more. Pre-orders are available via iTunes here.

“Ronnie’s music, and what he was, was part of my life,” drummer Lars Ulrich said. “[Dio’s] music is so much a part of what’s in Metallica’s DNA, the harder, edgier, blues-based hard rock from the Seventies. It was fairly effortless to put this together, because it’s something that we were all reared on.

“I don’t recall sitting there in a band meeting or anything deciding what to play. Somebody starts playing ‘Stargazer’ – which is sort of just like something that’s in our arsenal to jam – and then that whole period there, ‘Tarot Woman,’ ‘Kill the King,’ ‘A Light in the Black’ – that’s just really effortless to jump into,” Lars added.

Noting that putting together cover jams is something that Metallica loves working on, the drummer concluded, “You just try and do your own thing, respectfully, in the shadow of these legends,” the drummer says. “It becomes more of an homage and respect thing rather than trying to copy the song – it’s not even about outdoing them.”

Ronnie James Dio is one of the most beloved figures in rock history. His gifts, both as a singer and songwriter, are instantly recognizable, whether he was with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, or leading Dio. Sadly, Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010, but his towering voice and legacy live on.

To celebrate one of rock’s most powerful voices, an all-star group of his friends and fans recorded 13 of their favorite tracks for a tribute album that will raise funds for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (diocancerfund.org). Produced by his longtime manager and wife Wendy Dio, the album includes contributions by such metal heavyweights as Metallica, Motörhead, Scorpions, Anthrax, and Rob Halford, as well as appearances by many of the musicians who performed with Dio over the years.

This Is Your Life will be available from Rhino on April 1, 2014 for a suggested list price of $18.98. A digital version will also be available.

Although the songs featured on the album touch on the different eras of Dio’s career, several spotlight his time with Rainbow, including Metallica’s epic, nine-minute “Ronnie Rising Medley,” which combines the Rainbow songs “A Light In The Black,” “Tarot Woman,” “Stargazer,” and “Kill The King.” Scorpions add a scorching take on “The Temple Of The King” while Motörhead is joined by Biff Byford from Saxon on “Starstruck.” Rob Halford teams with frequent Dio collaborators Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, and Scott Warren for “The Man On The Silver Mountain.” The final line-up of Dio’s solo band – Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo and Scott Warren – are joined by Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath) for “Catch The Rainbow,” a track from Rainbow’s 1975 debut.

Anthrax and Adrenaline Mob honor Dio’s memorable stint with Black Sabbath with their takes on “Neon Knights” and “The Mob Rules” respectively, as does a group, led by Oni Logan on vocals along with Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, and Brian Tichy, which performs “I” from Dehumanizer.

This Is Your Life also includes songs from Dio’s back-to-back platinum albums Holy Diver (1983) and The Last In Line (1984), with Doro’s take on “Egypt (The Chains Are On)”, Halestorm tackling “Straight Through The Heart,” Corey Taylor (Stone Sour, Slipknot) covering the classic “Rainbow In The Dark” and Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Glass) putting their signature spin on “The Last In Line.” Killswitch Engage’s cover of “Holy Diver,” a hit in its own right when released in 2006, is also included here.

Fittingly, Ronnie James Dio provides the finale (and the album’s title) with his moving performance of “This Is Your Life.” Originally released on Angry Machines (1996), the song’s lyrics explore mortality and are backed by a stark and beautiful arrangement that features Dio accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist Scott Warren on piano. The song serves as a poignant reminder that we will never hear a voice like Dio’s again.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.

A message from Wendy Dio regarding she and Ronnie James Dio’s favorite charity, The Brittany Foundation:

Dear Friends,

As you all know, Ronnie and I have always been animal lovers and our favorite charity is The Brittany Foundation, as 100% of the monies raised goes to feed and house the dogs. Some of you may remember that three years ago, I spent a Day in Their Paws in a cage with two adorable dogs, trying to raise money and get them adopted. This was one of the last public appearances Ronnie made before his untimely passing.

This year I am going in the cage again with Timka and Tramp to raise money for The Brittany Foundation. I stay in the cage for 24 hours or until I have raised the money for freedom. It costs a dollar a minute for my freedom. I am asking for your help.

Please go here and scroll down to my picture with Timka and Tramp, and click the button to donate. We would love to see any of you that would like to join us.

I would like to say a big “thank you” to you all, and as Ronnie would say, “You Rock!”

Sweden´s premium hardrock band FATAL SMILE wants to use video footage filmed by the real fans of Dio in the video for their next single titled “For the last in Line“, a ballad about Ronnie James Dio and the legacy he left behind.

FATAL SMILE did a brief tour with Dio in Europe 2009. On a tour in 2010 – supporting Queensryche on their last tour with Geoff Tate – they where devastated when the news of Ronnie´s passing hit them while going off stage after a show in Germany.

-We all fell in love with Ronnie, he was the sweetest & most gentle man you could ever imagine, says Blade, vocalist in FATAL SMILE.

– Mr Y (guitarist in FS) left the room in silence, and later revieled the first piano piece we´ve ever heard him play. It was a sad little tune and the lyrics came to me right away.

Blade continues:
– I recorded it with tears in my eyes the same night and sent it to Diana Deville of Dios management. She thought it should be released, so it was released the very next day digitally. The recording belongs to Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, and the revenues from it goes uncut the the foundations fight against cancer. The song is available on youtube:

The song was later rerecorded as a full on power ballad and is included on FATAL SMILE´s latest Gold-awarded album “21st Century Freaks“, that was released in May 2012.

Following the success of previous singles/videos from the album -“Welcome to the Freakshow” and “My Private Hell“- the video and single will be released on the day of Dios passing due to cancer three years ago: May 16. It will truly be a tribute to the greatest singer ever – Ronnie James Dio – R.I.P.

If you want to see your clip of Dio in the tribute video, please send a link to your clip on youtube or any other outlet to: info@fatalsmile.com

The lucky fans that were able to attend this year’s Monsters of Rock Cruise (which ran from March 16-20, and set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, before taking in such gorgeous tropical locales as Nassau and CocoCay), witnessed performances by countless renowned metal acts – including Cinderella, Tesla, Saxon, Lita Ford, etc. But certainly one of the top standouts of the cruise was Dio Disciples, comprised of members Mark Boals – vocals, Craig Goldy – guitar, Scott Warren – keyboards, Simon Wright – drums, Bjorn Englen – bass, and Oni Logan – vocals.

In addition to a great set by the band, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund raised over $16,500 for cancer research, education and to help find a cure! Some of the events that raised funds for the charity on the ship were a live auction that featured a signed Tony Iommi Gibson Guitar, ESP Guitar, Schecter Guitar, Dio Memorabilia, Memorial T-Shirts and Wristbands and a Ronnie James Dio Photo Book! Rock Star Bingo was a huge success that featured members of Dio Disciples, Stryper, Y&T, Cinderella and Eddie Trunk calling Bingo Numbers! 100% of the proceeds raised from these events go directly to the charity.

Be sure to keep an eye out for when the next Monsters of Rock Cruise will set sail – this year’s voyage was a blast!

ON DVD, BLU-RAY, 2CD, DIGITAL AUDIO, DIGITAL VIDEOAND FIRST TIME ON VINYLFULLY RESTORED FILM FOOTAGE OF THE COMPLETE CONCERT AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME~MAY 28, 2013~

Eagle Rock Entertainment is proud to announce the release on May 28, 2013 of Finding The Sacred Heart – Live In Philly 1986 on DVD, Blu-ray, 2CD and 2LP from Dio [Pre-book order date May 3, MSRP $19.98 Blu-ray, $14.98 DVD, $17.98 2CD, TBA vinyl]. The DVD and Blu-ray versions offer fully restored film footage of the complete concert available for the first time. The audio on the 2CD and double LP is fully remastered.

Finding The Sacred Heart – Live In Philly 1986 was recorded at The Spectrum in Philadelphia on June 17, 1986 during the second leg of the “Sacred Heart” tour, which featured new guitarist Craig Goldy. The show was issued in an edited form first on VHS and then DVD. Now for the first time, the full concert is being released as a double LP in the original running order and with remastered sound. It’s an extraordinary live show with a giant animatronic dragon towering over the stage and spectacular laers and pyrotechnics. The line-up for the show is Ronnie James Dio (vocals); Vinny Appice (drums); Jimmy Bain (bass); Craig Goldy (guitar); Claude Schnell (keyboards)

The show features the Dio classics “Holy Diver,” “Don’t Talk To Strangers,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children,” “Sacred Heart,” “Stand Up And Shout,” “Rainbow In The Dark,” and “We Rock” plus other classic tracks from Ronnie James Dio’s career including “Heaven And Hell,” “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and “Man On The Silver Mountain”.

Bonus Features [on DVD and Blu-ray] include a Sacred Heart Tour featurette, an interview from ’86 and a separate interview with Ronnie & Craig, as well as the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children” music video and a Behind The Scenes feature.

Ronnie James Dio and the band deliver a blistering live performance featuring tracks from their first three albums alongside Black Sabbath and Rainbow classics. For those who never got to experience the powerful vocals and mammoth stage prowess of Ronnie James Dio before his passing in 2010, this is the perfect opportunity to view this legendary icon in all his glory.Eagle Rock Entertainment is the largest producer and distributor of music programming for DVD, Blu-Ray, TV, Audio and Digital Media in the world. Eagle works directly alongside talent to produce top quality, High Definition and 3D programs, both concerts and documentaries, including The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, Queen, The Doors, Jeff Beck, U2, Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney and Ozzy Osbourne. Eagle is a Grammy Award winning company and has received over 30 multi-platinum, over 50 platinum and over 90 gold discs, worldwide. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices in London, New York, Toronto, Paris and Hamburg.Read the rest of this entry »

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is certainly doing its part to raise money, spread awareness, and, hopefully, one day find a cure for the same illness that took the life of one of rock’s all-time great vocalists, Ronnie James Dio.

The Dio Cancer Fund, upon its formation two years ago, pledged a total of $300,000 to the TJ Martell Foundation (an organization founded by music industry senior executive Tony Martell – who lost a son to leukemia – which raises funds for cancer research) and had already donated $200,000 to the Foundation. The remaining $100,000, which will be presented shortly, is earmarked for the gastric cancer research efforts at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. These monies were raised from the Dio Cancer Fund’s recent annual Awards Gala and Celebrity Guitar Auction.

Tony Martell recently stated, “The T.J. Martell Foundation is honored to work with Wendy Dio and the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. We are all working together to fund important stomach cancer research at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center that will lead to new discoveries and hope for patients and their families. Ronnie James Dio was a friend of mine. I know he would be proud of the progress being made in his name.”

On Saturday, December 1st, at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, a celebrity guitar auction was held benefiting the Dio Cancer Fund, which featured over 80 instruments donated by some of rock’s biggest names, including Slayer, Def Leppard, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May, Aerosmith, Slash, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Tony Iommi, the Foo Fighters, and many others.

“Ronnie James Dio was such a force in music and his memory continues to conjure thoughts of rock royalty,” said Darren Julien, Founder & CEO of Julien’s Auctions. “It was an honor for Julien’s Auctions to host the recent guitar auction that benefited The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. Dean Schachtel and the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund Board Members put their heart and soul into the event, and the passion of all the celebrities and musical artists who donated their guitars was phenomenal. Because of this we were able to raise much needed funds for an exceptional charity and cause.”

As Dio’s widow and founder/president of the Fund, Wendy Dio, explains: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the musicians and managers who donated guitars for our auction. Many thanks to Darren and everyone at Julien’s Auctions for printing such a beautiful catalogue and working so hard on our behalf. Thanks to Dean Schachtel and my very hardworking Board of Directors—together we raised an amazing sum for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. We will be presenting the T.J. Martell Foundation with a check for $100,000 which, in turn, will go to the Vanderbilt Research Center for studies in gastric cancers. Ronnie would be so very proud of all of you. Early detection saves lives, and one day, with your help, we will find a cure.”

The Dio Cancer Fund, a privately funded 501C3 charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, also hosted its annual Awards Gala on Halloween night at the Avalon in Hollywood, which raised additional funds for its work.

As the singer of some of the most iconic bands of the hard rock/heavy metal genre – Rainbow, Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell, and Dio – Ronnie James Dio’s vocals can be heard on such all-time classics as “Man on the Silver Mountain,” “Long Live Rock n’ Roll,” “Neon Knights,” “Heaven and Hell,” “Rainbow in the Dark,” “Holy Diver,” and “The Last in Line,” among countless others. Dio passed away on May 16, 2010 after a battle with stomach cancer, at the age of 67.

Nearly 100 Donated Guitars Will be Auctioned on Saturday, December 1 at 2 P.M. at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, CA to Raise Money for Dio Cancer Fund

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the world-renowned voice of Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell, will participate in the upcoming Icons & Idols-Rock ‘n’ Roll Auction at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday, December 1 at 2 P.M. Nearly 100 donated guitars signed by a variety of celebrities from the music world will go on the auction block to benefit the Fund’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education.

The collection includes guitars signed by the Jonas Brothers, Slash, Tom Morello, Tony Iommi and members of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, the Alice Cooper Band, Metallica and Iron Maiden. Among the rarities are a prototype electric guitar made for and signed by Eddie Van Halen and a custom hand-carved Ronnie James Dio memorial guitar created by DBZ Guitars. Also in the collection is an Epiphone electric guitar signed by a host of country music stars, among them Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, an ESP acoustic electric guitar signed by “Twilight” film star Robert Pattinson and three guitars hand painted by the famous elephants of the Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project in Thailand.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a privately funded 501C3 charity organization which has already raised more than $600,000 in its short history. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life.

Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in entertainment memorabilia, is located at 9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 150, Beverly Hills, California 90210.
A free public exhibition of many of the items included in the auction will be available for viewing during the auction
house’s regular business hours of 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. beginning Monday, November 19 through Friday, November 30.
For hours, visit: www.juliensauctions.com.

Legendary Rockers Will Also Present Awards to Seven Distinguished Honorees

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund’s second Awards Gala, set for Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31 at the Avalon nightclub in Hollywood, will include a live performance by Dio Disciples, comprising former members of the band Dio, with a number of prominent rock musicians joining them on stage for an all-star jam. Among the rockers planning to join the celebrity jam session are Joey Vera (Armored Saint), Billy Morrison, Glenn Hughes, Frankie Banali, Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Joey Belladonna (Anthrax), Michael Sweet and Oz Fox from Stryper, David “Rock” Feinstein, cousin of the late singer Ronnie James Dio in whose memory the Fund was created, and members of Buckcherry.

In addition, Terry “Geezer” Butler, Eddie Money, Glenn Hughes, Frankie Banali, Stephen Pearcy, Joey Beladonna and David “Rock” Feinstein are among the performers who are scheduled to present awards to the fund’s distinguished honorees. This year’s honorees, who will receive awards named after Ronnie James Dio songs, are: Neil Warnock, Founder and CEO of The Agency Group worldwide; Stanley J. Diamond, partner, Diamond & Wilson, and member of the Board of Directors of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up & Shout Cancer Fund; Charlie Hernandez, President of QED Productions and veteran production manager; Bob Chiappardi, Founder and CEO of Concrete Marketing; Alex Hodges, CEO, Nederlander Concerts; Dr. Raul Mena, Director of the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center in Burbank; and Tony Iommi, legendary guitarist and co-founding member of Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell and recent cancer survivor. Iommi has donated a one-of-kind Gibson Iommi SG prototype guitar—a priceless left-handed development model made for Tony personally— to the event’s silent auction, and he will autograph it and pose for a photograph with the new owner.

In addition to the evening’s entertainment, the Halloween Spooktacular will include gourmet food stations and a hosted bar as well as a silent auction, live auction and Halloween costume contest.

A privately funded 501C3 charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund has already raised more than $500,000 in its short history. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, according to Wendy Dio, widow of the late singer and Fund President/Founder.

The Avalon is located at 1735 North Vine Street in Hollywood. General admission tickets start at $200 with special VIP ticket packages that include reserved seating and admission to the after hours Bardot Club are also available. For information regarding the Fund as well as tickets and sponsorships for the Gala, visit: www.diocancerfund.org

Former DIO drummer Simon Wright says that “three or four” unfinished demo recordings that were made prior to singer Ronnie James Dio’s death could be completed for a future release. The last song to be fully realized with Ronnie, “Electra”, was featured on the ultra-rare “Tournado” box set, but Wright reveals rough versions of other tracks exist. “There were three or four songs he had been working on,” the drummer tells Classic Rock Revisited. “I’m not sure what will happen. At some point, maybe, they’ll come out.” He adds, “You would have to be careful how you approached it — you wouldn’t want to overstep your bounds. We’d sit and listen to them and see how far he got. We’d do it with total respect and we’d do it delicately.”

On October 9, the second volume of DIO’s best tracks was unleashed via Niji Entertainment — “The Very Beast Of Dio Vol. 2″ — the follow-up to the gold-certified “The Very Beast Of Dio”. The 17-track CD picks up exactly where the first volume left off — from 1996 onward. And in addition to featuring such latter-day DIO classics as “Killing The Dragon”, “Push” and “Fever Dreams”, the compilation will also include several rarities that fans have long requested on a single disc — “Electra”, “Prisoner of Paradise” and “Metal Will Never Die”.

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and his own band DIO, passed away of stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67.

Without getting long winded, truth is I haven’t left Lynch Mob, I’m just taking the time in pursuing other projects that I would like to be a part of. I’m sure we’ll regroup somewhere down the road.

Other projects……
One being The Dio Disciples US tour dates that start on October 20th at the House of Blues in Anaheim CA as a guest vocalist.

I had been asked by the band to join them in paying homage to Dio’s music and legacy. I have many great memories of Ron, I first met him in 1989 in West Palm Beach Florida, we had spoken for a couple of hours back stage which led to the bar, by the end of the night I told him that I was interested in coming out to California to catch the dream.

His answer was, “well, come to LA then”, as easy as that, I couldn’t help but chuckle as to how easy he made the journey appear to me but I did, I took his advice, it had been one of the best pieces of advice anyone has ever given me.

As fate would have it, we would become family friends in sharing Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas holidays as well as Halloween and new years eve party’s together, sort of surreal to think about it now, he always was such a great host and organized the best new years eve party’s every year, those were and still are some great memories.
Ron had such a great quality in how he was able to engage with people, no matter who you were he always made you feel like you were the only person in the room, I believe this had been one of the reason why his arms had reached so many people across the globe. It’s an honor to have been asked to represent a friend’s legacy and music, I truly believe he would have wanted his songs to continue being celebrated in all four corners of the globe through his fans, fellow musicians, friends and family and loyal band members…….. we’ll all keep on singing his songs.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the world-renowned voice of Dio, Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell, will host its second Awards Gala on Halloween night, Wednesday, October 31 at the Avalon nightclub in Hollywood. Awards will be presented to seven distinguished honorees for their contributions to spreading awareness of Fund’s important work.

A privately funded 501C3 charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund has already raised more than $500,000 in its short history. Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life, according to Wendy Dio, widow of the late singer and Fund President/Founder.

The Halloween Spooktacular at the Avalon will include gourmet food stations and a hosted bar, a silent auction, live auction, an all-star rock ‘n roll jam featuring Dio Disciples and a performance by the weirdly wonderful performance troupe Cirque Berserk. VIP ticket levels will also be available.

Awards named after songs written by Ronnie James Dio will be presented to the following distinguished honorees:

* Man on the Silver Mountain Award: Neil Warnock, Founder and CEO of The Agency Group worldwide

* Rainbow in the Dark Award: Stanley J. Diamond, partner, Diamond & Wilson, and member of the Board of Directors of the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up & Shout Cancer Fund;

* Killing the Dragon Award: Charlie Hernandez, President of QED Productions and veteran production manager, who, with partner Lori Tierney, are the driving force behind Just a Bunch of Roadies, a nonprofit organization formed by musical touring industry professionals to respond to humanitarian crises.

* Stand Up and Shout Award: Bob Chiappardi, Founder and CEO of Concrete Marketing, one of the largest independent lifestyle marketing companies in the music industry,.known for its work with cutting edge rock and heavy metal artists.
* Master of the Moon Award: Alex Hodges, CEO, Nederlander Concerts

* Sacred Heart Award: Dr. Raul Mena, Director of the Roy and Patricia Disney Cancer Center in Burbank, who concentrates in the area of cancer research.

Eddie Trunk of VH1 Classic’s “That Metal Show,” who was presented with the Fund’s Long Live Rock ‘n Roll Award at last year’s Gala, will once again serve as Special Guest emcee.

“We are really looking forward to our 2nd Annual Awards Gala,” says Dio Cancer Fund chairman Gloria Butler. “It will have quite a different feel from last year’s inaugural extravaganza at the Playboy Mansion, this year replaced with Ghosts & Goblins on Halloween night at Avalon, an all-star jam, the amazing Cirque Berzerk, the fortune tellers, strolling magicians and free flowing delicacies. It’s sure to be a ‘spooktacular’ night for a special cause.”

Fund founder and president Wendy Dio adds: “The support the Dio Cancer Fund has received since its beginnings shortly after Ronnie’s death has been overwhelming. Our mandate is cancer prevention, research and education, and we are proud and gratified to be able to recognize this year’s honorees for their contributions toward spreading the word about our mission. Ronnie would have been so proud of what we have accomplished so far, and he would especially have loved to party on Halloween.”

The Avalon is located at 1735 North Vine Street in Hollywood. General admission tickets start at $200 with special VIP ticket packages that include reserved seating and admission to the Bardot Club are also available. Information regarding the Fund as well as tickets and sponsorships for the Gala is available at: www.diocancerfund.org

Andrew Freeman is prepared to be regarded as “the world’s most hated singer” when he replaces Ronnie James Dio in a reunion of Dio’s original lineup.

Guitarist Vivian Campbell recently announced he’d jammed with keyboardist Claude Schell, bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice, and it had gone so well they’d decided to work together again.

Now Schnell confirms they’ll perform under the name Last In Line, by way of a tribute to Dio, who died two years ago.

The keyboardist also reveals the reunion came about after Def Leppard axeman Campbell jammed with Steel Panther.

Schnell tells MusicLegends: “Viv had done an impromptu play with Steel Panther and he was energised to the point of saying, ‘We should get together.’

“It was initially supposed to be a fun hang. It turned out to be more than just fun. As chance would have it, it actually sounded quite good.”

But the musicians shared a sombre moment when they jammed Dio classic Holy Diver. Schnell says: “The song starts with just the instruments alone. I think all of us had kind of a memory anticipation of the next thing we were going to hear being Ronnie’s voice. Other than the obvious and notable absence it sounded exactly as it sounded back in the day.

“On the one hand it felt great to be playing this great music again – but Ronnie being no longer with us to sing it became painfully obvious as we progressed through the session.”

Despite those emotions, Schnell says former Lynch Mob singer Freeman did a great job. “If he didn’t, I don’t believe we’d be pursuing the project with him,” the keyboardist explains. “His online comments about ‘preparing to be the world’s most hated singer’ notwithstanding, I think he’s going to do a ver credible and impressive job of covering this material.”

When Dio returned to Black Sabbath in 2006 the lineup called themselves Heaven and Hell after one of their albums, to distinguish what they were doing from Sabbath’s output. That’s a leading reason why the former Dio men came up with the name Last in Line – the band’s second album but the first to include a keyboardist in the band.

“It’s been getting a very good response,” says Schnell. “It’s a subtle nod to Ronnie. The first album on which we all played, me included, was The Last in Line. And I think it works better than Holy Diver does anyway.”